BY ARTHUR M. LEA. 
289 
MORDELLA FESTIVA, n.Sp. 
Black; palpi, base of antenna?, anterior legs and posterior spurs 
obscure testaceous. Head with obscure pubescence which is 
parted in the middle. Prothorax with dull silvery pubescence, 
leaving an elongated vitta and two lateral spots. Elytra with 
pubescence as prothorax; it narrowly borders the base on each 
side, emitting three stripes, the first about the middle, one at the 
extreme side, and one between them; a zigzag fascia 'about the 
middle — not quite reaching the sides — forming two irregular Ws; 
a crescent-shaped spot on each side about a fourth from — and with 
its convex sides towards — the apex; the pubescence extends along 
the suture from the scutellum to the fascia (one specimen has the 
erytral pubescence extending from base to apical spots, these latter 
conjoined and irregular in shape). Undersurface with silvery- 
grey pubescence, leaving a spot on each side of the abdominal 
segments, and the greater part of aculeus. 
Aculeus short, broad; apex broad, truncate. Legs rather 
slender; posterior spurs equal, and little more than a third the 
length of the first tarsal joint. Length 3|, width 1 J mm. 
Hob. — South Australia (Rev. T. Blackburn). 
Resembles the species I suppose to be M. australis; differs in 
being larger, narrower, the markings broader and not so clearly 
cut, without the divergent scutellar stripes, thinner femora, some- 
what different aculeus, kc. M r. Blackburn tells me that he thinks 
this species an extreme variety of M. communis; with this opinion, 
however, I cannot agree; none of my specimens of that species 
approach it in pattern. 
Mordella bella, Waterh. ; Mast. Cat. Sp. No. 4315. 
This is an extremely variable and widely distributed species. 
I have specimens from many parts of New South Wales, and 
there are specimens in the Maclea}' Museum from Queensland 
and South Australia. Mr. George Masters at Blackheath recently 
obtained several hundreds of specimens, all of which, together 
